Best Roof Insulation Material: Your Go-To Guide

Insulation is one of the best ways you can save money. By insulating your home, you lower your heating and cooling costs-a must in an era where price hikes are pretty much par for the course.

However, although there are priority areas to pay attention to (such as roofs, walls and floors), coverage needs to be comprehensive.

Indeed, it can be all too easy to overlook hard-to-reach places, such as around ducts and pipework-but homeowners do so to their detriment.

Today, we will talk about roof insulation, and more specifically, the best roof insulation material on the market today. So without further ado, let’s get started…

Why Should I Insulate My Home?

Let’s start with the simple question and the simple answer. If you do not install insulation in your home, more heat leaves the house, and the more money you need to spend on heating and cooling your home. Let’s go section by section.

Your walls allow for 35% heat loss when not insulated. You can add either external or internal wall insulation. Your windows and doors allow for 15% heat loss, and the solution is to add glazing, shutters, and curtains. As for your roof, it allows 25% heat loss, which is the second highest after your walls.

In addition to this, your floor allows for 15% heat loss, and again, insulation is the solution. Last, but not least, you have gaps and cracks that allow 10% heat loss in total.

So now that you know exactly where heat escapes from, the next question on your lips is likely to be ‘what’s the best way to resolve it?’

Insulation should always be your first port of call, and a quick search online reveals that D.I.Y spray foam kits abound-making many a homeowner mistakenly believe that this project is akin to assembling a piece of flat-pack furniture themselves.

Of course, it can be all too tempting to tackle the project at hand yourself, but when you factor in all of the problems a D.I.Y installation could entail, it’s far more trouble than it’s worth. Moral of the story? Get it right the first time, by enlisting the help of the experts to avoid issues from surfacing at a later date.

As with most things in life, quantity doesn’t always mean quality; in the case of insulation, looks can definitely be deceiving when it comes to determining the long-term efficacy of an insulation material

How Much Insulation Do I Need?

Overall, the best way to keep the heat inside and outside (depending on the conditions), is to insulate your roof, as this is the main area that heat will escape from. A thorough evaluation of the attic is necessary, as this will ascertain your current level of insulation, as well as how well it’s stood the test of time.

As with most things in life, quantity doesn’t always mean quality; in the case of insulation, looks can definitely be deceiving.

One common misconception among homeowners is that if they have an ample amount of insulation in their attic, that automatically means that their home is protected against heat loss.

Unfortunately, this is far from the case.

Traditional materials, such as fibreglass and cellulose, may function effectively to start with, but over time, their overall thermal performance is compromised, as the insulation loses contact with the framing.

This inevitably leads to air leaks, which, consequently, increase reliance on external appliances to make up for the shortfall of heat.

Let’s get into math and science for a moment. The best way to determine whether you need more insulation and the heat loss of your home is by the U-value.

This is the ratio of the temperature difference across your house. U-value calculates the watts per square meter Kelvin [W/(m2K)].

In simple terms, this is the amount of energy lost. You can always check the U-value calculator online to see if you need more insulation.

Traditional materials, such as fibreglass and cellulose, may function effectively to start with, but over time, their overall thermal performance is compromised, as the insulation loses contact with the framing

What Are The Main Insulation Materials On Offer?

Before we answer the question what is the best roof insulation material, we have to take a look at all the options. There is a variety of insulation types you can use. Some of your options include wood fibre, cellular glass, gypsum board, and much more.

Let’s take a look at them one by one:

Wood fibre is an organic material, composed of wood and cane, or vegetable fibres. They are then mixed with fillers and binders. This material can be either asphalt coated, or asphalt impregnated.

Perlite insulation is perlite combined with organic fibres and binders. The top of the material has an asphalt coating which limits adhesive asphalt absorption.

Next on the list is polyisocyanurate, which is a closed-cell foam plastic insulating core. The insulating efficiency is higher than other rigid insulations, despite the air diffusion into the cell structure.

You can also install polystyrene insulation. There are two ways you can install. The first one is expanded, when the polymer is impregnated with a foaming agent. The second is extruded, when you have blended polystyrene polymer heated and run through an extrusion process.

Cellular glass is a material made out of crushed glass and foaming agent. The components are mixed, then placed in a fold, and last heated. This way, the glass is melted and mixed with the foaming agent.

Last, but not least, we have gypsum board, a water-resistant and non-combustible core panel. In order to enhance roof membrane adhesion, this material is often combined with a non-asphaltic coating.

In the end, it all comes down to whether you want the best roof insulation material, or the cheaper one. Yes, spray foam can cost two to three times more than fibreglass insulation. But the advantages surely justify the price

Why Should I Choose Spray Foam Instead?

The trick with spray foam is that you need experts to get the job done. Often, SPF (spray foam) is poorly installed. The reason is simple. Because of the increased demand, there are more installers in the market, many of which lack the experience and quality control. But if you get a reliable, BBA approved company, you will get an insulation material that is better than alternatives (fibreglass and cellulose).

Here are some benefits of the best roof insulation material on the market today:

Effectively insulates ceilings and walls. By doing this, you create a barrier and prevent heat from leaving your house during the winter. In the same time, you prevent heat dissipation from outside to inside during summer months

Foam blocks heat and prevents excessive heat from entering the home. This way, you keep the temperature at your home steady and consistent

Because it retains –value in extreme weather conditions, spray foam causes no harm to your health. There is no breakdown into toxic dust, something that can happen with fibreglass

In addition to providing temperature insulation, spray foam is a great sound insulation as well. The foam absorbs sound from inside and outside the building. This will make your life easier and more comfortable

Reduce your carbon footprint by using spray foam. Foam is produced from recycled plastics and soy-based polyols, all of which make it more eco-friendly product.

In the end, it all comes down to whether you want the best roof insulation material, or the cheaper one. Yes, spray foam can cost two to three times more than fibreglass insulation. But the advantages surely justify the price.